housebreaking

[Spoonandfork22]

i recently got a chihuahua. she is a year old, 3.5 pounds. i adore her! she has truly lit up my life. she has adjusted well to me and my apartment but there is one thing she isnt picking up on. GOING TO THE BATHROOM OUTSIDE!

her previous owners told me she was housebroken but everytime i bring her outside, which is A LOT, about once every few hours so she can get the hang of it, she never wants to go. she will walk around and sniff for a few seconds but then she goes right to the door, ready to go back inside.


she hasnt had many accidents (that i can find at least) and my apartment is roped off so she cant go into my bedroom or bathroom when i am gone. i know she is eating and drinking so its frustrating that shes still going in the house. she has pooped twice in here and as for peeing i havent found much except when i first come home and she gets very excited. but i think thats just dripping.

any suggestions???

[Jester]

Congrats on the Chi.

I bet she was housebroken but you have to remember this is a new place for her and she is still getting use to you and her new home! I love people that say ?their housebroken? It's more of a selling point than anything else. (unless you buy the house along with the Chihuahua)

If your Chi is sniffing around it sounds like they're looking for a good place to go but isn't finding it... I know when i got my Chi he didn't want to goto the bathroom outside but I kept walking him until he finally found some place he liked (Nice Grassy area), after he was tired and all out of pee/poop we would go back inside. The next time we would go out we would head right back to that special place with treats in hand.

Tips

1) Positive reinforcement (Bring treats with you, if she does go outside, praise her)

2)If you find poop in your house don't punish her unless you see her Pooping! She won't understand why you're upset with her and she'll become one of those crazy Chihuahuas that shakes for no apparent reason.

3) Develop a routine and stick to it! When you get home the first thing you should do is grab her leash and go outside for a walk. I leave the Harness on my chihuahua during the day, so when i get home all i have to do is grab the leash, put it on and go.

[DragonLady]

If you have a yard of your own you can place some of her poops in the spot you want her to go.

You need to clean the spots she used with an enzymatic cleaner to get rid of every speck left behind. Dogs have extra super smell ablilities and the enzymes clean the mess by eating anything left in the carpets or on the floor.

Keeping her confined in a small area will give her a feeling of secuirty. Food water and bed on one side and potty pad on the other. This will train her to use the pad if you are not home.

Walking should last at least 15-30 minutes a day. Always bring treats in case she goes potty. Give her praise while she is going potty and give her the treat. They will learn fast this way. Never spank a Chihuahua as it can rupture a disc in their back. Yelling at them will also cause them to be paniced when around you as they do not understand what the problem is.